SS ''Home'' was a

steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

packet ship Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed mainly for domestic mail and freight transport in European countries and in North American rivers and canals. Eventually including basic passenger accommodation, they were used extensively during t ...

built in 1836 and wrecked in 1837 during Racer's Storm with a loss of 90 lives. She was commanded by

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Carleton White.

History

In 1836, James P. Allaire, John Haggerty, and Charles Morgan planned to add two steamers to their line of ships running under the name of the New York and Charleston Steam Packet Company. By late, 1837, their company was running only one steam packet between New York and

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

, the ''Columbia''. After some delays, the partners launched the ''New York'' and the SS ''Home'' early in 1837 to carry passengers and cargo, including US Mail. The ''Home'' was a large and fast coastal steamer which provided accommodations for 120 passengers and could make the trip between New York and Charleston in 64 hours. It cost nearly $90,000 to complete the ship, but it was already running profitably on its first two journeys. On its third trip from New York on October 7, 1837, however, ''Home'' ran aground in the harbor. Thinking that the ship was not damaged after an inspection, the master recommenced the journey. Their inspection failed to detect a water leak in the machinery, which caused and engine failure when the ''Home'' faced a storm near

Cape Hatteras, North Carolina Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. As a temperate barrier island, the landscape has been shaped by wind, waves, and storms. There are long stretches of beach, ...

.Baughman (1968), p. 17. ''Home'' was built for Mr. James P. Allaire, of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, a

paddle steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine driving paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, whereby the first uses were wh ...

of 537 tons, long and with a beam of , propelled by two sidewheels mounted amidships. Like other ships of her day, ''Home'' had masts,

sail A sail is a tensile structure, which is made from fabric or other membrane materials, that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may b ...

s, and

rigging Rigging comprises the system of ropes, cables and chains, which support and control a sailing ship or sail boat's masts and sails. ''Standing rigging'' is the fixed rigging that supports masts including shrouds and stays. ''Running rigg ...

as well. ''Home'' was built for river trade, but was converted into a

passenger ship A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...

. Her interior was paneled in deep

mahogany Mahogany is a straight- grained, reddish-brown timber of three tropical hardwood species of the genus ''Swietenia'', indigenous to the AmericasBridgewater, Samuel (2012). ''A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest''. Austin: Universit ...

and

cherrywood Cherrywood () is a developing suburb of Dublin, Ireland, bordering Cabinteely, Loughlinstown and Rathmichael. It is located to the southeast of the city, in Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown. The development commenced on a greenfield site in 1998 and ...

with

skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History O ...

s, saloons, and luxurious passenger quarters. A total of US$115,000 was spent converting ''Home'' for ocean voyages, but she was equipped with only three

lifeboats Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

and two life preservers. She was uninsured.

Loss

On Saturday, 7 October 1837, ''Home'' left New York City for Charleston,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, with about 90 passengers and 40 crew aboard. ''Home'' had made only two previous voyages to Charleston. ''Home'' struck a

sandbar In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body of water close to the surface or ...

off

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. Unaware of the extent of the damage, her captain proceeded on schedule for Charleston. She encountered the

1837 Racer's Storm ''Racer'' hurricane was a destructive tropical cyclone that had severe effects in northeastern Centralist Republic of Mexico, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, and the Gulf Coast of the United States in early October 1837. It was named after the ...

and started taking on water as she rounded

Cape Hatteras Cape Hatteras is a cape located at a pronounced bend in Hatteras Island, one of the barrier islands of North Carolina. As a temperate barrier island, the landscape has been shaped by wind, waves, and storms. There are long stretches of beach ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. She was put aground to ride out the developing storm. Before rescue operations could be effected the next day, the ''Home'' was torn to pieces by the surf and 90 people died.

Notable passengers lost in the disaster

*The Hardy Croom family of

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of and the only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2024, the est ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. Hardy Croom established one of Tallahassee's premier

cotton plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tobacco ...

s called

Goodwood Plantation Goodwood Plantation (also known as Old Croom Mansion) was a mid-sized cotton plantation, slave plantation that grew cotton on about 1,675 acres (7 km2) in central Leon County, Florida, Leon County, Florida. It is located at 1600 Miccosukee ...

. * Oliver H. Prince and wife Mary Prince. Oliver was on the Board of Trustees of the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

and had been a

United States senator The United States Senate consists of 100 members, two from each of the 50 U.S. state, states. This list includes all senators serving in the 119th United States Congress. Party affiliation Independent Senators Angus King of Maine and Berni ...

from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

as well as Georgia State Senator.

References

Bibliography

External links

* *
Contemporary Newspaper accounts of the loss of the ''Home'' 1837-1843

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Home, SS Steamships Shipwrecks of the Carolina coast Maritime incidents in October 1837 1836 ships Paddle steamers